Super Rugby referees face purge

MELBOURNE: Super Rugby governing body SANZAR will conduct a purge of the competition's referees in the wake of a series of controversial blunders by match officials in the opening rounds of the season.

Lyndon Bray, SANZAR's referees co-ordinator, said the 18-member team of referees was set for change.

"Within the next week or two we will be making decisions that will keep our team extremely accountable," Bray said in comments published by News Corporation on Friday.

"There is a lot of pain to go for referees ... The fact is, they're either going to get dropped out of the team, which is a significant consequence obviously, or suffering from the point of view of number and quality of appointments.

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"It will be a strong statement in terms of those who are currently refereeing at the top of our team and those that are clearly moving in that direction and those that aren't."

The standard of officiating came under heavy scrutiny last weekend, with coaches from several franchises fuming after contentious decisions.

Bray was moved to clarify a number of them this week, including a controversial try awarded by South African referee Stuart Berry to Lions fullback Coenie van Wyk during the Johannesburg-based team's 39-36 win at home to the Blues.

With help from South African television match official Johan Greeff, Berry awarded the try despite video footage showing Van Wyk's teammate Deon van Rensburg had lost the ball forward in a tackle on the try-line.

Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham said he would contact Bray after some "bewildering" decisions in his team's 35-20 loss against the Sharks in Durban, while New South Wales Waratahs coach Michael Cheika also grumbled about scrum penalties in his team's loss to the ACT Brumbies.

"I would always dispute the argument that there is no accountability or action," Bray said.

"There is. I would only say watch this space at the moment because we're 80 per cent through the process of making some of those decisions."

Reuters

15 comments so far

The reappointment of Stuart Berry and Johan Greeff for this weekend's games only goes to show that Lyndon Bray is either a very slow decision-maker or simply inept and should be replaced by a more capable person. We have been watching and waiting for action over the past couple of years and very little action eventuates. Is Lyndon and SANZAR in the habit of playing poor referees back to form instead of retiring them to club rugby at least?

Commenter

Akari

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 4:47PM

Interesting that Berry was again appointed to a Lions game, issued 2 yellow cards to the Reds and whistled them off the park.If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck.....

Commenter

Chris

Location

Kiama

Date and time

March 23, 2014, 12:11PM

And I've just watched him destroy the Reds this week , the man is an IDIOT

Commenter

Richo

Location

Albany WA

Date and time

March 23, 2014, 10:01PM

SANZAR needs to consider a second referee in the middle. There is simply too much going on for a single official and too much pressure on one person. Having a second referee like the much simpler game, Rugby League, can only improve the decision making.

Commenter

Lie Lover

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 4:59PM

@Lie Lover - unfortunately I think you are wrong. The game is not black and white enough to ever get consistency of application by two different referees. Your example of rugby league may as well be cricket as the game, number of decisions and the decision making processes are very different.

Within a single game a single referee can at least be consistent (noting errors do occur) with dual referees in the same game it would be near impossible to have consistent application at the breakdown within the same game.

Commenter

Less SA referees please

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 5:25PM

Lie Lover your suggestion is a receipt for total disaster. I mean a greater disaster than Rugby has already become with one referee who has total carte blanche to referee the way he sees fit. The rules are so open to interpretation that all two referees on the paddock would do would be to see total anarchy.

Commenter

RTP

Location

Sawtell

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 7:34PM

I agree totally that the speed of the game is now well beyond the ability of 1 official & 2 assistants to control. However I wouldn't have 2 men in the middle & 2 on the touch lines I'd have 4 on the touch lines & 1 in the middle.

2 of them would maintain a position at the advantage line while the other 2 would act as a touch judge in the defending teams territory. They would then swipe roles as possession changed between teams by moving backward & forwards up to the the advantage line. Once a team got to within a teams tryline the "touch judges" would move in behind the deadball line to provide a better all round view with the advantage linesmen maintaining their position

I'd then sack the TMO's because lets face they can barely get anything right & have no power to interject into the game.We might as well not waste time waiting for them to balls it up or be led by the onfield ref

Commenter

Camomatic

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 8:37PM

Just as a secondary thought, we could go with half a dozen refs in black and white stripes, stop every 4 goes........hold on that's grid iron, 4 hours to play a game.There are various sports with different rules, laws, I happen to like Rugby Union, it will never be perfect.

Commenter

Bizzare

Date and time

March 22, 2014, 12:33PM

Joubert must go. a truly terrible ref.

Commenter

ian

Location

sydney

Date and time

March 21, 2014, 5:43PM

@ Less SA referees please...... Good one mate. Can you please tell us what the other alternative is? At present the SA referees, seem to be at "the top of the tree",as far as SANZAR, and for that matter, international referees goes. New Zealand have a few referees that are very good, but we here in Australia, don't seem to have many, or any, referees that are worth much. Isn't it about time that the referees association in this country did something about it, to have good quality international & Sanzar, referees?